St. Charles Parish temporarily extends mosquito control contract

The St. Charles Parish Council has approved a six-month contract extension with Mosquito Control Inc. for mosquito control services so that council members can determine whether the parish is getting the best deal for service. The current five-year contract was set to expire Dec. 31.

Parish officials opted to extend the contract versus automatically renewing it for another five years. The fixed contract amount for 2011 was $910,684.

The parish levies a 1.10 mill property tax that generates about $1.1 million for mosquito control.

Council members said they were concerned that they were not made aware of the contract expiration until it was too late to seek proposals.

However, Parish Chief Administrative Officer Tim Vial told the council that the parish approached other contractors in the state when the contract came up for renewal in 2006, but said the companies were deterred from submitting proposals because of the expense of setting up an office in the area.

Mosquito Control Inc. has contracts with several surrounding parishes, including St. John the Baptist and Jefferson parishes.

In other business, neighborhoods along the Primrose Canal in Luling will see better drainage, thanks to a $1.1 million federal grant to enlarge culverts along the canal, Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. told the council Monday night.

St. Pierre said money will be used to improve canal crossings at Lagatutta Drive, St. Anthony Street, St. Nicholas Street, Oak Lane, River Oaks Drive and Monsanto Avenue.

The parish will pay a 25 percent match for the grant, totaling $379,000, St. Pierre said.

In addition, the council approved a $312,000 contract with Gilmore and Son Construction for the replacement of culverts in the Willowdale Boulevard and Beaupre Drive area.

Public Works Director Sam Scholle told the council that the project, which involves installing larger culverts, will dramatically increase water flow from the area. The project will be paid for with a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

The council also approved a resolution accepting a $138,700 state grant for the construction of a new restroom building at the parish's West Bank Bridge Park from the state Local Government Assistance Program.

Parish officials say that sports activities have brought substantial growth in the number of visitors to the park, outstripping the existing facilities.